Fly-catcher.



Nn. 816,929. PATBNTED APR. 3, 1906.

F. I. MACAULEY.

FLY CATGHER.

APPLIOATION FILED JULY6.1905.`

1% y y if@ m LIINIIIIiiD STATES PATENT OFFICE.

No. y816,929.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Aifatentrecfl April 3, 1906.

Application filed July 6,1905. Serial No. 268,449.

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK I. MAcAULn-Y, a citizen of the United States, residing at Alameda, Alameda county, State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fly Catchers; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

My invention relates to that class of flycatchers in which a sticky string is employed. There are two main objections to ily-catchers of this type. The first is the difficulty of handling, and the second is the liability of the .adhesive material to drip. The iirst difficulty is accentuated by the necessity for the frequent disposition of the utilized portion of the string and the provision for use of a fresh portion. Obviously the sticky string must not be touched by the hands, and if this can be avoided both in disposing of the part already used and in presenting a fresh part a desirable end is attained. Also if any danger from the dripping of the glutinous matcrial from the string can be avoided a good result is reached.

The objects of my invention are conse quently principally to reach theseends and to accomplish them in a manner both practical and without offense to good taste.

My invention consists in the novel construction and arrangement of the several parts of the apparatus or device, which I shall now fully describe by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a view, partly broken, of the fly-catcher. Fig. 2 is a view showing one of the many positions in which it can be placed.

A is a case of any suitable character and which may be made as ornamental as desired. It is provided with a suitable removable end or cover to obtain access to it. Within the case A is a ball or other suitable store of string B or tape or other form of line adapted to be wound into a ball or to be otherwise in any manner disposed of or stored within the case, so that it may be drawn therefrom. In the bottom of the case is an opening which is best protected by an eyelet a, and through this eyelet the end of the string passes. The string is properly treated before being wound and placed in the case, with any suitable sticky or adhesive material so that the flies which light upon it will stick fast.

C is a gripper, best made in the form of a Small pair of spring-nippers of any suitable construction. These are caused .to .engage the depending `end of ,thestickystringland `to be normally suspended therefrom.` handle c of thenippers is extended ,and fastened to its lower end a small drip-cup D of any suitable construction.

The position of the device as a whole is a suspended one, the case A being provided with a suitable bail a. whereby it is suspended with its apertured end down and the string depending from it, while the nippers and drip-cup hang from the end of the string. Any suitable suspending device in any de sired place may be employed. For the sake of illustration I show in Fig. 2 a gas-fixture E, to the stem e of which is secured by a setscrew f a hook F, from which the case A is suspended by its bail a.

To adjust the device initially, the case A is suspended from the hook. The nippers C are then used to grasp the protruding end of the sticky string B and to pull said string down to any desired length. The nippers are then left hanging from the string. In thus pulling the string out through the eyelet a the latter serves by friction to smooth the sticking substance and uniformly spread it on the string. The nippers remaining on the string are always ready for use, and the cup D serves to catch any ossible drip from the string. The weight ol the nippers and cup also serves to hold the pendent string properly extended. Now when the exposed length of the string has been utilized and it is desired to dispose of it, with its burden of flies, the nippers are grasped and the spring is pulled down by their means until a fresh portion of string is drawn out of the case.

With a pair of scissors or other cutting imple? ment the utilized string is then severedV from the fresh portion and is carried by still holding the nippers to the stove or other destructive destination. By pressing the nippers open the utilized string, with its burden, is dropped to destruction, and the nippers are then carried back and fitted to the end of the fresh portion and are there left suspended ready for further use and operation. It will thus be seen that the operations of disposing of the utilized string Iand the resentation of a fresh portion are accomp ished without touching it and that while in use there will be no undesirable drip.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is

IOO

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la A fly-catcher comprising a suspensble ease having an aperture in its bottom, a store of sticky string contained in said oase, the end of said string passing and being draWable through the apertured bottom of the oase anldepending therefrom, a gripper detachably suspended from the depending eXtremityofsaid string7 and a drip-cup carried by the gljlppel f2, vA fly-catcher comprising a suspensible oase having an aperture in its bottom, a store offstioky jstring contained in said ease, the end( of said string passing and being draWable through the apertured bottom of the case and depending therefrom, a pair of spring- I5 In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my 2o hand.

FRANK I. MACAULEY.

Witnesses:

J. COMPTON, D. B. RICHARDS. 

